The social determinants of health (sometimes referred to as the wider determinants of health) are the social, economic, environmental, political, and cultural factors that shape the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. The social determinants (for example, education, income, and housing) are the biggest influence on people’s health outcomes and drive health inequalities – the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries. (Adapted from World Health Organization 2020)

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